The General Director of the General Directorate of National Defence Policy and International Relations of the Ministry of National Defence, Dr Κonstantinos P. Balomenos, had a protocol meeting with the Ambassador of Sweden to Greece, Mr Johan Borgstam on November 22, 2021.

During the meeting, security and stability challenges, as well as regional developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region, were discussed, among others. In particular, GNDPDIR Director-General referred to the escalating, destabilizing and illegal actions of Turkey, which, by adopting hybrid tactics, continues to promote its revisionism.

The two officials discussed the problem of illegal immigration, following the situation in Afghanistan and the recent instrumentalisation of migration from Belarus to Baltic countries. Extensive reference was made to the possible consequences that a new escalation of the migration crisis will cause at the borders of the European Union, as had happened in March 2020 in the Evros region.

On this point, Dr Balomenos pointed out the decisive role of Greece, which due to its geography is called upon to preserve national and at the same time European borders and stressed that coordination of actions at the EU and NATO level is required to address hybrid threats that states are called to face by third parties. Recent events on the borders of Lithuania and Poland have demonstrated the need for proper preparation for countering hybrid threats and Dr Balomenos pointed out the need for the operational use of a model of a holistic approach to deal with them while strengthening the resilience of Member States.

In addition, new perspectives for the further deepening of the defence cooperation between Greece and Sweden were discussed, both at bilateral and European level (e.g. joint participation in PESCO programs).

The bilateral contact took place in a very warm climate, confirming the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries.